By Adeola Kunle
A young Nigerian, Samuel Ezekiel, has alleged that his friend, Emmanuel Udeh, deceived him into undergoing a kidney removal procedure after allegedly disguising his identity as “Hassan Abubakar” during the process.
Ezekiel made the disclosure on Friday while speaking to journalists during the Nigeria Police Force parade of suspects linked to an alleged organ-harvesting syndicate operating in Abuja and Nasarawa State.
According to him, Udeh initially told him they were going to a hospital, and because of the trust he had in his friend, he followed his instructions without fully understanding what was ahead.
Ezekiel said Udeh subsequently introduced him to another man identified as David, who took him to an agent named Ben for medical tests.
He explained that after his first test results did not match those of the intended kidney recipient, the agent later informed them that another recipient had been identified.
Ezekiel said he was subsequently told that his kidney matched the new recipient and was taken to Ben’s residence.
He alleged that it was at that point that he was informed that his identity would be changed to “Hassan Abubakar.”
“Then he now said that they are going to change my name, that I will be bearing Hassan Abubakar,” Ezekiel recounted.
He said the group later went to the Federal High Court, where an affidavit was prepared, before proceeding to Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, Abuja.
According to Ezekiel, documents were signed at the hospital before he was taken into the operating theatre.
He said money was brought to them in dollars around 10pm or 11pm before he underwent the procedure.
Ezekiel explained that he handed the money to Udeh for safekeeping before entering the theatre.
“After they give us the money, then when I wanted to enter the theatre, I gave Emmanuel the money to hold it,” he said.
However, Ezekiel alleged that by the time he came out of the theatre, Udeh had exchanged the dollars and used part of the proceeds to purchase electronic devices.
He said Udeh bought two phones, two power banks and two Wi-Fi devices, giving him one of each while keeping the other items.
The victim said they remained at the hospital for almost one week before being discharged. He added that Udeh subsequently took him to a hotel, where they stayed for two days.
From the hotel, Ezekiel said he was taken to Cross River State, where they reportedly spent about three months.
He later questioned Udeh about the money he had received for the procedure but was allegedly told that the money had been exhausted.
Ezekiel further claimed that Udeh told him they did not have enough money to transport them back to Abuja. According to him, Udeh collected and sold his phone to raise money for their journey back to the Federal Capital Territory.
Victim Says He Was Assured There Would Be No Problem
Ezekiel acknowledged that he knew his kidney would be removed but said Udeh had reassured him that the procedure would not negatively affect his health or ability to carry out his normal activities.
“He just told me that it’s something that they will just convert it, that there’s not any issue in there, that if they convert it, I can do everything that I want to do, that I will not have any issue,” he said.
He confirmed that he consented to the procedure, which he said was carried out at Wellington Hospital, Life Camp, on April 24.
Ezekiel said he was paid in US dollars but could not determine the exact amount. He recalled receiving several $100 notes and one $50 note.
Asked about the payment, he said: “It’s 100, 100 dollars with one 50 dollar.”
He nevertheless said he was unable to give the exact total amount he received.
Police Arrest Suspects Over Alleged Organ-Harvesting Network
Ezekiel’s account emerged as the police intensified their investigation into an alleged organ-harvesting network operating in Abuja and Nasarawa State.
The Nigeria Police Force on Friday paraded several suspects following a sting operation in the Auta Balefi area of Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Among those paraded was Udeh, whom the police accused of recruiting victims for the alleged organ-harvesting operation.
Other suspects included Dr Benjamin Oyime, a nephrologist and consultant to Wellington Hospital; Dr Daniel Otukpa, another nephrologist and Acting Director of Clinical Services at the hospital; and David Idoko.
The police alleged that the suspected syndicate targeted vulnerable young people and facilitated illegal kidney removals through forged documents and deceptive representations.
Authorities said investigations were still underway to identify and apprehend other individuals allegedly connected to the network.
The matter became widely known after activist Martins Otse, popularly called VeryDarkMan, disclosed that a young man had approached his NGO with medical evidence indicating that his left kidney was missing.
Following the allegation, the police commenced an investigation, which resulted in the arrest and subsequent parade of the suspects.
Adeola Kunle
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